CHAPTER 12

They went to their rooms and Maryam, lying on her bed feeling tired, mentally she was exhausted she couldn’t decide what to do she missed her mom like hell… she put her face in the pillow and cried till she fell asleep…..

It was a wide long road both sides were vast spread desert there was no one in sight…. She was all alone there carrying two buckets full of water in her hands, her palms were hurting because of the metal rods of the buckets they were heavy and Maryam had to carry them to God knows where. She kept on walking, she was afraid as she was all alone, it was pitch silence, not even any sound of a bird or animal….. She was carrying the buckets and dragging her feet on the road when suddenly somebody took the bucket from her left hand and started walking with her, She looked at him, he was taller than her, his toned body was pacing near her eyes all sparkled and there was a cute grin on his face. She kept on staring at him when he looked down at her and said… “you don’t have to carry this alone…. Main Hoon na”…. She smiled at him feeling safe and relaxed but suddenly she heard a loud noise coming towards them, she looked at them back a car was racing towards them, she looked worriedly towards the car, then towards him…. He looked all calm as if he didn’t notice the car was coming to him, at once the car came too close and before she could do anything it hit him on his back and all she could see was blood on the road

“Shehryaaarrr!!!!!!!!!!”

“kia hua Maryam bibi?....ap theek to hen?” Maryam got up, she was all in sweat, breathing heavily the maid got worried looking at her like that and immediately called Mehru

“Hey…. What's wrong Maryam?” Mehru came running to her bed and asked Maryam was covering her face in her hands and she was shivering

“mehru… mehru Shehryaar…. Shehryaar… blood..Wo..Wo us ka khoon…. Maryam was fumbling and Mehru understood that she had a dream again…

“Lo… have some water first….”mehru made her drink water and then sat with her, she was looking a bit okay then

“ub batao kia dekha?” mehru asked and Maryam told her the dream

“ohooo Maryam you just over thought about all this that’s why you had this dream, okay?....All is fine Shehry is fine it was just a nightmare, relax” Mehru hugged her and patted her back

“It was not just a nightmare Mehru… not just a nightmare…” Maryam said looking into space

“Really? Then what is it?” Mehru asked smilingly

“It was an omen…. An omen that I am… I am not good for him am dangerous for him” Maryam said and Mehru laughed at her expressions

“Yeah, yeah you are dangerous for him because you have explosive inside you and you can explode anytime around him…. Yeah?” Mehru laughed and got up Maryam ignored her joke she looked tensed

“now c’mon move your butt from bed and come out…but before that go and freshen up pata nai q itna roti ho tum…tumhare liye Shehry perfect hea wo tumhen rone nai de ga sirf hasae ga….dekhna” mehru looked at her and smiled and left the room

“You won't understand Mehru…. I am a bad luck”

 It was noon Maryam was reading her favorite book by Nicolas Spark when her cell phone, rang up, she looked at the screen and suddenly her calmness faded away….

Maryam: hello!

Shehry: hey!...Hi, how are you?

Maryam: am good… ap kese hen?

Shehry: yeah m great as always you know

Maryam could hear his smirk her heartbeat was racing at dangerous speed, and she mentally slapped her behavior… why it was always so odd to talk to him why she gets those stupid goosebumps whenever she hears his voice

Maryam:… ha-ha yeah!...So… umm how is your throat now?

What am I talking?......aaarghhh Maryam you are an idiot its been so many days that he was sick and you are asking now… wow you finally woke up

Shehry: yeah m absolutely fine now…. Just because of you

Uffff phir se kaaarha

Maryam: yeah, Good….

It was the world’s most awkward silence for the next few seconds and Maryam was mentally killing herself, even Shehry couldn’t understand what to say and how to say

Shehry: ummm Maryam I was wondering if… ummm you would like to go out with ME….

Ugh God, why  is it so difficult man

Maryam: um, yeah would love to, you people are planning something?

Stop being an actor Maryam tumhen pata hea wo sirf tum dono ki bat ker raha hea

Shehry: ah! nai nai not all of us… ummm its just me and you….

Maryam could feel his hesitation, but honestly Shehry had no idea how she was controlling herself that moment she was literally trembling inside out

Maryam: oh!... Is there anything special?

Khanmakhan mein bat berha rai ho maryam just say YES

Shehry: yeah… very special will tell you once you will come

Again, awkward pause

Shehry: so…. Should I take it as a YES?

Maryam: umm yeah, fine I’ll come

Shehry: that’s great… so make it 8 in the evening? What say?

Maryam: as you like, but what's the place?

Shehry: oh, never mind, I’ll pick you at 8 and the place is um well call it a surprise

Shehry said and Maryam nodded stupidly as if he was looking at her and could see her nod… then after talking for a few more Secs they hung up. Maryam could feel heat coming out of her ear where she was holding her cell phone, she touched her ear and put a hand on her heart, it was beating a bit too fast she closed her eyes and shook all the thoughts from her head

Maryam came into a Mehru’s room absent mindedly and sat on the couch

“lagta hea koi kisi k khayalon mein khoya hua hea Nabi” mehru looked side ways at her and started talking to Nabi

“han yar…wo kisi ka phone aya hua than a isss liyeee” Nabi said and Maryam looked both of them as if they were mad

“You two are simply mad okay” Maryam said

“Tell me something I don’t know” Mehru said and winked

“So tell me…. kia kia baten hueen?” Nabi poked her

“He asked me out tonight” Maryam said plainly

“Wow……. How romantic yarrr” mehru said dramatically and Maryam rolled her eyes at her

“acha agar tumhen itna romaaaantic lag rah ea to khud chali jao” maryam said

“I wish…..yar, I wish… only if he had asked me out I would have died to say yes baby dinner and date with none other than THE SHEHRYAAR ASIF wow… sounds so dreamy” Mehru almost fainted and Maryam made a bad face at her

  “Yeah, but there is the difference between you and me” Maryam felt irritated

“Yeah, and the difference is that he has asked you for a date not me…..Because he likes you not me” mehru examined like a mathematical term and Maryam took a long sigh

“Now get ready baby and lets go and decide what you going to wear tonight”  Nabi put her elbow on her shoulder and winked at her

They were in Maryam’s room now and Mehru and Nabi were literally taking every single piece of cloth out of her cupboard but they failed to select any

“yar ye wala theek to hea… this blue one, it's quite good let me wear this” Maryam looked at the rejected dress

“You are going on a date Maryam for the love of God, stop behaving that naïve and there is no way am letting you ruin this moment”Mehru threw the dress at the far corner of the room and Maryam rolled her eyes

“Hey idea!.....Maryam remember my white chiffon…..The one you loved too much, why don’t you wear that?” nabi said at once

“That one with heavy embroidery on that…..No way and then again its too skinny am not going to wear that” Maryam immediately said a big NO

“nabi you go and bring it up… go” mehru said to her and she brought the dress in no time

“nabi am proud of you my dear…….. Yes Maryam this is perfect for tonight”mehru took the dress out

“Go and try it at least” Nabi gave her the dress and she went in her dressing room

After a couple of minutes Maryam came out and Nabi whistled loudly, it was a long full length white, delicate chiffon gown with thread and beads embellishment on the upper front, sleeves were elbow long. With that she was wearing white choorydar and a long embellished duppata. Indeed, she was looking too cute in that dress it was a bit too fitted on nabi but it was perfectly okay with Maryam

“Wow, its just perfect yarrr” Mehru commented after checking her out from head to toe

“No, it's not… its way too extra for a dinner and then again its fitted” Maryam said looking herself in the wall length mirror

“Oh come on Maryam Shehry would love this…. Don't ruin your first date yarrr you are looking beautiful in this”Nabi said

“So its final that you are wearing this… now lets select the makeup and ummm jewelry and shoes” Mehru went towards the cupboard ignoring Maryam’s deadly stares

“mehru and Nabi just to remind you people…. Meri Baraat nai hea” Maryam put her hands on her waist and said

“oye hoyeee…..date ho jane do baraat bhi aa jae gi” nabi poked her and she turned all red

“Whatever!!!’ maryam finally surrendered herself in front of them it was 7 30 and they both were literally on top of her doing her makeup, making her wear her ear rings, side by side giving her date instructions. Maryam was somehow enjoying their sisterly presence she loved both of them…..

“But why can't I see myself yarrr?” Maryam was completely ready, but Mehru before getting her ready asked her to close her eyes and after doing her eye shades she blind folded her and it was almost 8 and Maryam was still in that strap

“No… you are not allowed to look at yourself before him” Mehru whispered in her ears “let him tell you how extraordinarily pretty you are looking”

“What the hell is this mehru…pata nai q mujhe lag raha hea tum logo ne pastry bana diya hea mujhe let me look at myself, please” Maryam pleaded and there they heard the car horn…her heart beat raced up she knew it was him

Nabi removed the strap from her eyes Maryam looked around to find any mirror, but failed, she was already in the hallway and the only mirror was covered with a cloth she stared at Nabi who just made a cute puppy face